Letter To The Editor: Celebrate Ossining For Fair Funding Success

Dear Editor,

I am writing to the community to celebrate the success of Ossining For Fair Funding. In order to fully appreciate the victory, we should all understand the effort that led to that victory.

Recently, like many in Ossining I shared in the excitement and joy over the news that the state funding for our Ossining school district is being substantially increased, and is scheduled to be increased to 100% full funding in a few years. This is so impactful for my three grandchildren who attend school in Ossining.

For years Ossining has been grossly underfunded by the State. Just after moving to the Ossining area in 2017, my daughter Katherin Crossling started taking me to demonstrations in downtown Ossining. At these rallies, parents, educators and young students complained that Ossining’s school funding was one of the lowest in the State, and it had been that way for years. I was shocked and decided to get involved. So year after year we demonstrated and advocated for change with Ossining For Fair Funding, a grass roots advocacy group, to fix this gross inequity.

Finally in 2019, the Democratic Party took control of NY state, and we felt we had a real chance to right this wrong. So in the spring of 2019, we filled a bus and caravans of cars and all went to Albany. I joined 45+ good people from Ossining in a meeting at the statehouse to argue our plight.

The staff of our elected officials told us in no uncertain terms: ‘Give it up! There is absolutely no chance that you will see the funding you seek, not enough other delegates are going to support this.’

We persisted, and held a series of meetings at the capital, gave press conferences, and shouted and chanted on the capital steps.

In the last meeting I attended, I watched parents and educators respectfully plead for fair funding, while the legislative staff sat patiently, but were seemingly uninterested and unpersuaded. As we went around the table and person after person begged and pled, I began to boil with outrage at this travesty. I happened to be the last to speak, and I unloaded. Next to me, other community members joined in. But we were responded to with stoic ambivalence.

The drive back home was really low, we got no promises and had to wait several days to hear anything. If our new Democratic majority was against us, what hope did we have?

But that low point turned out to be the turning point! That year we got a budget increase that was significant enough to close a budget gap. We hoped that our concerns and outrage would finally reach the top levels in the state.

This momentum has only grown since that fateful advocacy season and I am thrilled that now Ossining is finally on the path to 100% funding by 2023.

I am thankful to my daughter, Katherin Crossling, who took me to those meetings and rallies all those years. I am thankful to Jess Vecchiarelli for her tireless advocacy, for Ossining For Fair Funding and for everyone who trekked to Albany. I am thankful and proud that Ossining never gave up on this fight.

Lastly, I am not native to Ossining. I grew up in small communities, and my family moved every couple of years, so I attended schools all over the US. Public education prepared me well for opportunities beyond anything I ever imagined as a child, and now I am thrilled to watch my grandchildren thrive in this wonderful town and school district with a stability I never knew.

Ossining has such an admirable and passionate commitment to public education and quality in its schools. It is impressive.

Keep it up Ossining. You inspire this Grandma!

Carry On,

Karen Slimak